The Pursuit of Eternal Satisfaction, Matthew D. Fritz

After seeking, pursuing, and experiencing the best that the world had to offer, I came to the point where there was a realization that it could never satisfy my deepest need and longing for inward satisfaction. All the most thought-provoking philosophies about life, love, the universe, and God ultimately did not stand the test of time with this then 19-year-old male college student in the prime of his pursuit of true satisfaction and universal truth. What was it then that would close the chapter of this fruitless endeavor? Sure enough, it must have been something more substantial than a newfound philosophy, another human attainment, or noble accomplishment. It was eternity. The eternity that God put into this young man's heart had prevailed above all else. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Amplified Version)

When one of my good friends from high school told me of his experience of being saved by receiving Christ, of being baptized, and of meeting with believers in the local church, something within me leaped as if to say, “Now I've found exactly what I have been searching for all along!” I immediately told him that I had had an experience of turning to God and I felt that I needed to solidify this experience, so I asked him if I could come to a meeting. This was a big step for me considering how I had always openly rejected formal Christian teachings and ideals, but the eternity that God had put into me was responding strongly to what I would soon experience.

I had met other college students that were in the local church, and although I did not know at the time that they were believers in Christ, I noticed that they were strikingly different from other students I knew. I could not put my finger on it, but they seemed to have a certain contentment and happiness about them that shined out from their being. When I finally had the chance to come to my first home meeting with believers in the local church, it became clear to me what it was that was shining out of them. There was an enjoyment of Christ in the atmosphere of that meeting that was unhindered. What transpired there exactly matched the sense within me of what it really means to have a life of eternal satisfaction. From that point on, I decided to meet with the local church. I felt that if the reality of God, Christ, life, and the universal truths are anywhere to be found, they must be here in the local church.

Ever since then, the Lord Jesus Christ has been proving to me time and again how He is fulfilling His eternal goal. One of the major factors in this experience has been the rich spiritual nourishment through the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. The ministry publications of these two faithful servants of the Lord have been a major source of supply to me. Their ministry has continually and faithfully pointed me to the experience of the most wonderful Person in the universe - Jesus Christ, the unique satisfaction of satisfactions.